James claude eckert



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. O. EOKERT. RAILWAY GAR TRUCK.

No. 552,054. Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. O. EOKERT. RAILWAY GAR TRUCK. N 552,054. Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Trice,

JAMES CLAUDE EOKERT, OF \VHISTLER, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDMUND OCONNER, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,054, dated December 24, 1895.

Application filed September 7,1895. Serial No. 561,836. (No model.)

To all whzmt it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES CLAUDE ECKERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVhistler, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Railway-Oar Truck, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in railway-car trucks.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of railway-car trucks and to provide one which will be especially adapted for supporting heavy passenger-cars, such as sleepers, and which will be capable of readily yielding in rounding a curve to avoid the grinding action on the rails and to prevent the wheels from being strained or twisted out of alignment.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a truck constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View illustrating the construction of the joint of the truck-frame. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the sections of the hinge-j oint of the truck-frame. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the hangers of the truclcframe.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a truck-frame composed of two sections 2 and provided with pedestals 3, constructed in the usual manner and having j ournal-b oXes and cushioning-springs,four wheels being provided for each section of the truck, making an eight-wheel truck.

The side or wheel pieces of the sections of the truck-frame are connected at their outer ends by end pieces and at intermediate points by cross-pieces or transoms, and the adjacent terminals of the sections of the side or wheel pieces of the truck-frame are connected by a hinge-joint 4, consisting of leaves or sections 5 and (3, and permitting the trucksections a limited horizontal swinging movement and a vertical swinging movement and a longitudinal movement to cause one side of the truckframe to contract and the other side to expand or lengthen in order that the truck may conform to a curve and pass around the same freely, without straining any of its parts or producing a grinding action on the rails or twisting the wheels out of alignment or derailing them. The outer end of the leaf or section 5 is provided with a vertical bifurcation and is pivoted to a tongue of the adjacent portion of the side or wheel piece by a horizontal pivot 7, and the outer end of the section or leaf 6 is connected with the side or wheel piece by a vertical pivot 8 and co-operates with the wheel'piece to form a knucklejoint. The adjacent ends of the leaves or sections 5 and 6 are tapered, being rounded or beveled at their adjacent faces, and they are connected by a horizontally-disposed leafplate 9, which has its terminals pivoted in horizontal slots of the leaves or sections 5 and 6 by vertical pivots 10. The leaf-plate 9 permits the sections 5 and 6 to move longitudinally toward or away from each other to permit the truck-frame to conform to the configuration of a curve.

The truck-frame is provided centrally of its sections with transoms 11 and 12, between which are arranged bolsters 13 of a body-supporting frame M, consisting of end bolsters and longitudinal arched bars or beams 15, arranged at intervals, as shown. The bolsters 13 are supported by flexible hangers 16, located at the ends of the transoms and connected by a spring-plank 17, the bolsters being preferably supported by suitable cushions 18, of any desired construction. The hangers 16 are substantially rectangular, and are composed of a bottom cross-piece 19 and sides 20, pivoted to the ends of the cross-piece 19 and hinged by longitudinally-disposed pivots 21 to the transoms, whereby the hangers are capable of a lateral swinging movement. The sides 20 are composed of two sections hinged together by a knuckle-j oint 22, having a transversely-disposed pivot to enable the hanger to swing longitudinally of the truck, and the openings for the pivots 23 are slightly enlarged to permit this movement.

The sections of the truck are evenly supported by the four wheels, and the truck is especially adapted for supporting heavy carbodies, such as sleepers, and it will be seen that the truck is capable of yielding or conforming to a curve in order to pass around the same without straining its parts or derailing the wheels or producing a grinding action upon the rails and the wheels.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sac rificing any of the advantages of this invention.

WVhat I claim is 1 A railway car rectangular truck provided with a truck frame having its sides composed of sections movably connected, whereby the frame is capable of adjusting itself to a curve to avoid straining the parts of the truck and derailing the wheels, substantially as described.

2. A railway car rectangular truck having a truck frame, having its sides composed of s'ec tions connected by hinge joints having leaves or sections capable of a limited longitudinal movement and adapted to contract and expand to enable the truck to conform to a curve,

substantially as and for the purpose de composed of sections connected by hinge joints comprising the section or leaf 5 having a vertical swinging movement, the section or leaf 6 having a horizontal swinging movement and the leaf plate 9 pivoted to the adjacent ends of the leaves or sections 5 and 6 and permitting a limited longitudinal movement,sub stantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a truck, the combination of a truck frame, hangers depending from the truck frame and composed of horizontal bottom pieces and vertical sides pivoted to the bottom pieces and hinged to the truck frame, and consisting of sections hinged at their adjacent ends, said hangers being capable of a swinging movement longitudinally and laterally of the truck, and car-body-supporting bolsters carried by the hangers, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J AMES CLAUDE EOKERT. lVitnesses R. G. REEDER, GEORGE E. SAGE. 

